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Transformational Leadership 1 TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP The 5 Mindsets of Great Leaders Equipping leaders through insights that impact daily Craig Farmer : 04422418475 : [email protected] Monthly Insights #1

Transformational Leadership - 5 Mindsets of Great …...Transformational,Leadership, 1, TRANSFORMATIONAL! LEADERSHIP! The5Mindsetsof!Great!Leaders!!!!! Equipping leaders through insights

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Page 1: Transformational Leadership - 5 Mindsets of Great …...Transformational,Leadership, 1, TRANSFORMATIONAL! LEADERSHIP! The5Mindsetsof!Great!Leaders!!!!! Equipping leaders through insights

Transformational  Leadership   1  

 

 

TRANSFORMATIONAL  LEADERSHIP      

The  5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equipping leaders through insights that impac t daily

Craig Farmer : 04422418475 :

[email protected]

Monthly Insights #1

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

It  is  unsettling  to  me  that  many  organisations  are  still  looking  to  capture  the  perfect  leadership  competency  and  development  model.  The  expectation  is  that  the  right  skills  can  be  developed  for  the  right  situation.  Many  people  are  operating  under  the  belief  that  the  right  skills  help  leaders  execute  the  plan.  Like  all  things,  there  is  some  truth  to  this  notion.  But,  there  are  contradictions  for  every  situation.  A  move  that  was  logical  yesterday  might  be  illogical  today  as  a  result  of  rapid  change.  Consistent  leadership  practices  are  only  valuable  in  consistent  climates,  which  is  virtually  nonexistent  today.  

For  today’s  leaders,  mindset  development  must  come  before  skill-­‐set  development.  We  all  operate  with  certain  mindsets.  These  mindsets  will  determine  where  we  focus,  the  questions  we  ask,  and  the  way  we  perform  activities.  We  are  generally  unaware  of  how  our  mindsets  are  impacting  us  and  how  it  impacts  our  results.  

Consider  a  leader  (John)  who  is  given  feedback  that  they  are  not  a  good  listener.  Off  they  go  to  a  course  to  learn  listening  techniques.  Because  John  is  bright  and  diligent  he  picks  up  the  skills  and  starts  to  apply  them  when  back  at  work.  John  is  perplexed  and  a  bit  upset  when  he  receives  more  feedback  that  he  is  not  a  good  listener  and  is  now  seen  as  manipulative.    

This  scenario  is  repeated  continually  across  organisations.  People  with  the  right  skills  but  the  wrong  mindsets.  

For  instance,  it  is  hard  to  become  a  better  listener  without  developing  a  genuine  mindset  of  curiosity  first.  Learning  to  look  people  in  the  eye,  fight  distractions,  and  asking  appropriate  questions  are  important,  but  they  are  simply  mechanical  skills.  Being  open  to  new  ideas  and  processes,  and  remaining  inclusive  of  others  lets  you  really  hear  what’s  being  said  and  put  it  to  good  use.  This  is  what  I  mean  by  mindset.  Mechanics  can  be  applied  and  developed  universally.  Mindset  is  individual.  Mindset  is  the  true  separator  of  talent,  not  

technique.  

 

I  would  like  to  explore  with  you  5  mindsets  that  can  help  separate  great  from  good,  leader  from  manager,  and  achievers  from  dreamers.  

Welcome  to  Transformational  Leadership  –  5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders.    

 

 

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Transformational  Leadership   3  

 

 

Have  you  ever  wondered  how  come  people  get  different  results  in  their  lives?  Some  people  seem  to  live  an  easy,  almost  blessed  life,  whilst  others  seem  to  bounce  from  struggle  to  struggle.    

To  help  us  understand  some  clues  about  this  dynamic  I  want  to  share  something  that  comes  from  Neuro-­‐Linguistic-­‐Programming  (NLP).  NLP  was  developed  in  the  1960’s  and  1970’s  by  two  amazing  men.  What  they  discovered  was  that  there  were  patterns  in  human  behaviour.  Mindset  patterns  that,  if  followed,  would  result  in  success.  By  looking  at  these  patterns  (mindsets)  and  changing  them  we  are  able  to  get  the  results  that  we  really  want,  if  we  take  action.  At  the  end  of  the  day  action  is  king.  No  action,  no  change  to  our  mindsets  and  therefore  our  results.  Be  willing  to  take  action!  

As  way  of  an  introduction  I  want  to  share  with  you  the  5  principles  of  success  to  orient  you  to  what  I  am  going  to  be  covering.  I  am  going  to  explore  each  of  them  in  various  ways  in  more  depth.    

1. Know  what  you  want.    

So  many  people  live  their  lives  getting  whatever  results  turn  up  and  accepting  it  as  the  way  IT  is.  If  it  is  a  good  day,  whatever  that  means,  then  great.  If  bad  stuff  happens,  then  life  isn’t  too  enjoyable.  They  have  no  mastery  over  what  is  happening  in  their  lives.  Many,  many  people  believe  that  this  is  just  the  way  life  is.  Many  leaders  are  in  the  same  boat.  If  you  want  to  lead  then  you  need  to  know  and  be  able  to  articulate  what  you  are  aiming  at.  What  do  you  want?  Not  just  day  to  day,  wondering  what  will  happen  but  asking  yourself  questions  like,  “What  do  I  want  out  of  today?”  or  “What  would  make  today  an  outstanding  day?”  I  find  that  second  question  really  helps  me  set  an  empowering  goal  for  the  day.  It  helps  me  get  moving,  helps  me  have  a  positive  frame  of  mind,  it  helps  me  know  how  to  deal  with  all  the  things  that  come  up  in  a  day.  In  life  we  tend  to  get  what  we  focus  on.  If  we  are  focusing  on  how  leadership  is  so  hard  or  on  problems  then  we  will  often  just  get  more  of  the  problem.    

So  I’m  curious  what  would  happen  if  you  start  to  focus  on  the  sort  of  person,  sort  of  relationships,  sort  of  outcomes  in  your  role,  and  the  sort  of  results  you  want  in  your  life?  Do  you  think  that  might  start  to  empower  you  in  your  life  and  leadership  to  move  forward  and  get  more  positive  results?  You  can  apply  this  anywhere,  for  anything.  Now  maybe  you  won’t  get  a  change  immediately,  it  might  take  a  few  attempts  but  it  is  going  to  give  you  more  of  an  opportunity  to  get  the  results  you  are  looking  for  if  you  know  the  results  you  want.  

I  know  when  I  started  my  business  I  was  happy  just  to  be  asked  to  do  anything,  so  I  said  yes  without  a  clear  understanding  of  what  I  wanted.  It  left  me  trying  to  meet  

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

other  people’s  expectations,  working  long  hours,  neglecting  my  family  and  working  outside  of  my  strengths.  When  I  stopped  and  asked  myself:  “What  do  you  want  out  of  this  business  and  where  can  I  offer  the  greatest  service  to  others?”  I  realised  how  far  from  my  personal  best  leadership  I  was  at  that  moment.  I  sat  down  and  wrote  out  my  values,  my  vision,  my  business  principles  and  then  my  goals.  I  do  this  every  month  now.    

Whatever  you  want  to  apply  this  to  you  can  -­‐  whether  it  is  how  you  think  about  yourself,  how  much  money  you  earn,  where  you  live,  how  you  relate  with  others.  Decide  upfront  what  you  want  right  now.  Take  some  time  to  simply  make  a  list  of  things  you  want.  Can  I  suggest  that  you  have  3  headings  –    

1.  Who  I  want  to  be  as  a  leader    

2.  How  I  want  my  relationships  within  my  workplace  to  be  

3.  What  I  want  to  have  –  job,  money,  possessions,  adventures  etc.  

 

The  second  success  principle  from  NLP  is…  

2. TAKING  ACTION.    

There  can  be  no  substitute  for  taking  action.  The  best-­‐laid  plans  don’t  become  a  reality  if  you  are  sitting  on  the  couch  watching  the  TV.  You  got  to  be  prepared  to  act,  to  get  out  there  and  try  new  things  by  extending  ourselves.  

We  have  got  to  be  prepared  to  take  action,  which  will  build  up  some  momentum.    

I  remember  as  a  teenager  feeling  depressed  and  not  wanting  to  go  out  and  see  people.  Every  time  I  took  the  action  to  go  out  and  see  my  friends  my  emotional  state  changed.  Why,  because  action  changes  our  emotional  state,  action  gives  us  confidence.  When  you  start  moving,  start  acting  in  the  direction  that  you  desire  then  you  are  giving  yourself  small  successes.  They  translate  into  greater  emotional  states,  which  translate  into  greater  confidence  and  certainty,  which  means  you  are  more  likely  to  keep  taking  action  forward.    

First  principle  is  know  what  you  want,  the  second  is  take  action.  The  third  is…  

 

3. HAVE  SENSORY  AWARENESS.    

This  is  basically  being  able  to  notice  if  you  are  getting  the  results  that  you  want.  What  we  need  to  be  able  to  do  is  look  at  our  lives  and  see  if  we  are  producing  the  results  we  wanted  from  certain  actions.    

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Sitting  next  to  a  river  Jim  tells  you  he  needs  to  get  across  to  the  other  side.  You  watch  as  he  runs  as  fast  as  he  can  and  jumps.    He  lands  3  metres  from  where  he  had  jumped  in,  drags  himself  out  sopping  wet.  You  watch  as  Jim  walks  even  further  back  for  his  run  up.  Again  he  runs  as  fast  as  he  could  and  jumps.  This  time  he  jumps  4  metres.  Given  the  river  is  10  metres  wide  the  chance  of  success  are  slim.    However  Jim  continues  to  jump,  until  exhausted  he  gives  up  and  decides  he  doesn’t  want  to  cross  the  river  any  more.  

How  many  leaders  are  trying  to  get  different  results  by  working  harder  with  the  same  strategy  or  skill?  How  many  leaders  have  been  stuck  with  the  same  results  but  they  are  unwilling  to  stop  and  admit  that  they  need  a  new  approach.  How  many  leaders  are  well-­‐intentioned,  have  good  skills  but  have  linked  their  ego  with  the  success  of  a  certain  role  or  task,  blinding  them  to  the  actual  results  they  are  getting.  How  many  leaders  are  justifying,  blaming  and  excusing  the  results  they  are  getting  on  external  forces,  other  people’s  incompetence  or  some  other  factor?    

The  truth  is  that  is  how  many  leaders  operate.  What  we  need  to  be  able  to  do  often  is  to  stop  and  ask  ourselves  the  question  “Are  these  the  results  I  am  looking  for?”    When  we  don’t  stop  and  have  sensory  awareness,  to  notice,  then  we  will  be  stuck  in  a  doom  loop.    

This  takes  us  to  our  next  Principle.  

 

4. BEHAVIOURAL  FLEXIBILITY.    

You  need  enough  behavioural  flexibility  to  change  what  you  are  doing  if  it  isn’t  getting  you  the  results  you  are  looking  for.  

If  we  go  back  to  Jim  trying  to  cross  the  river.  After  the  first  time  he  says  to  himself,  “This  isn’t  going  to  work,  what  else  could  I  try?”  It  makes  him  start  exploring  his  environment.  After  a  while  he  finds  a  boat  up  the  shoreline  and  gets  in  and  paddles  across.  That  is  behavioural  flexibility.  Exploring  new  ways  and  new  options.  How  many  times  do  you  change  your  behaviour  if  you  aren’t  getting  the  results  you  are  looking  for?  As  many  times  as  it  takes!  See  the  problem  that  most  of  us  have  is  that  we  simply  don’t  believe  we  have  many  options.  We  don’t  see  the  options  around  us.  What  do  you  need  to  do  differently?    

As  a  leader  this  is  where  you  mindsets  start  to  kick  in  and  your  ability  to  engage  in  creative  thinking.  

I  was  coaching  an  executive  leader  (Joan  we  will  call  her)  recently  who  had  been  trying  to  effect  change  within  the  organisation,  with  limited  success.  Joan  was  a  hard  

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worker,  educated  and  talented.  I  had  led  her  through  the  three  ideas  above.  When  I  started  to  ask  Joan  about  her  options  she  went  blank,  in  fact,  as  I  pressed  her  she  got  quite  frustrated  and  defensive.  “There  are  no  other  options,  I  have  done  everything  I  can  think  of.  If  I  could  think  of  anything  else  I  would  have.  What  are  your  ideas?  Isn’t  that  part  of  what  I  am  paying  you  for.”  Of  course  I  didn’t  supply  her  with  the  answers  but  took  Joan  on  a  journey  of  pushing  back  her  limiting  mindsets  and  beliefs  about  herself,  her  co-­‐workers  and  the  organisation.  As  we  did  this  Joan  became  aware  of  many  many  more  options  available  to  her.  What  she  had  done  was  block  out  her  various  options  and  therefore  restrict  her  ability  to  be  behaviourally  flexible.  Joan  was  proud  of  herself,  excited  about  the  future  and  thankful  I  hadn’t  just  given  her  the  answers.  

Many  leaders,  and  therefore  organisations,  think  and  then  behave  like  they  are  on  railroad  tracks.  There  is  a  sense  of  inevitability  about  the  process  and  outcomes.  Great  leaders  are  able  to  have  behavioural  flexibility    

 

5. HAVE  A  GREAT  ‘STATE’  

Your  state  refers  to  the  mindset  and  physiology  that  you  possess  in  each  moment  of  the  day.  They  are  linked!  

Leadership  is  not  an  easy  ride.  There  are  two  things  we  know:  one,  everyone  is  taking  their  clues  from  you  (you  are  a  model  whether  you  want  to  be  or  not)  and  secondly,  when  the  going  gets  tough  that  is  when  you  will  build  credibility  or  lose  it.  You  are  the  only  one  who  can  maintain  a  positive  mindset  and  physiology.    

Imagine  that  I  am  slumping  my  shoulders,  eyes  looking  down,  voice  flat.  As  I  tell  you  that  this  next  year  is  going  to  be  the  best  ever.  Would  you  believe  me?    

The  way  you  carry  yourself  is  in  line  with  what  you  want  to  create.  Have  you  ever  noticed  how  much  better  you  feel  when  you  sit  up  tall,  eyes  looking  up…in  fact  try  it  now…  sit  up  tall,  lift  your  eyes,  pull  your  shoulders  back,  breath  in  deeply  from  the  bottom  of  your  lungs.  Notice  how  you  feel,  strong,  positive,  and  confident.  By  simply  changing  such  a  small  thing  as  how  you  sit  and  how  you  hold  you  body  really  changes  how  you  think  about  yourself  and  life.    

Everyone  can  have  an  attitude  and  physiology  of  excellence  when  the  going  is  good  and  easy.  But  it  is  the  true  winners  who  choose  to  manage  and  change  their  physiology  when  the  going  is  tough.  Make  a  commitment  to  yourself  that  your  physiology  and  psychology  will  stay  positive  even  when  the  going  gets  tough.  Your  commitment  includes  when  setbacks  comes  you  will  get  even  more  courageous;  when  you  are  criticised,  you  will  get  more  determined.  Does  it  mean  you  will  always  

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get  the  results  you  are  looking  for  every  time,  maybe  not?  But  you  are  going  to  be  increasing  the  chances  of  getting  the  results  you  are  looking  for.    

There  is  a  great  amount  of  input  in  those  five  ideas.  Let  me  share  with  you  the  Five  Mindsets  of  Transformational  Leadership.    

Transformational  Leadership  Mindset  1  

Below  &  Above  The  Line  Thinking    

The  first  transformational  leadership  mindset  is  Below  &  Above  the  Line  Thinking.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below  the  line  thinking  is  anything  that  isn't  allowing  you  to  create  the  results  you're  looking  for.    Now  I  want  to  share  something  with  you.    Most  people  spend  too  much  time  below  the  line  thinking.    

Below  the  line  thinking  is  where  somebody  blames  somebody  else  -­‐  or  circumstance  -­‐  or  the  environment  -­‐  or  the  economy  -­‐  or  their  boss  -­‐  or  their  spouse  -­‐  or  their  kids  -­‐  or  their  workload  -­‐  for  why  they're  not  getting  the  results  that  they  want  -­‐  because  it's  not  really  about  them  is  it?    

Or  a  leader  makes  a  lot  of  excuses.  Now  I  am  sure  that  you  would  say  that  you  have  done  this  and  I  can  laugh  along  with  you  because  I  know  that  I’ve  done  it.      

Ownership  

Accountability  

Responsibility  

 

Blame  

Excuses  

Denial  

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We  are  talking  about  a  leader  who  would  make  excuses  about  why  they  can't  do  something.          

• "I  was  waiting  on  someone  else”  or      • “My  last  role  made  me  so……!”  or      • “I'd  do  that  if  we  I  had  more  budget!”  or  a  common  one      • “I'd  do  that  if  I  had  more  time!"        

They  have  an  excuse  for  everything  and  I  hope  you're  thinking  of  an  area  in  your  leadership  where  perhaps  you've  done  exactly  that  because  I  know  I  have.        

My  mentor  shared  with  me  the  excuse  that  she  used  over  and  over  again.    It  was  an  old  excuse;  an  old  pattern  that  she  used  to  run  for  ages  and  the  excuse  was...  "I  had  it  tough  so  you  can't  expect  me  to  do  this;  I  had  a  lot  of  illness  in  my  life  for  a  very  long  time".  So  her  excuse  was  really  handy  and  really  real  because  she  had  the  scars  and  everything,  so  boy  it  had  to  be  real  and  her  excuse  was...  "Well  I'm  really  sick  so  you  can't  expect  me  to  get  involved  in  the  game  of  life!"  -­‐  and  that  was  a  really  unsatisfying  way  of  living  -­‐  but  it  was  a  pretty  good  excuse.              

The  last  thing  aspect  of  below  the  line  thinking  is  denial.  Now  this  one  is  a  really,  really  sneaky  way  of  doing  it.    It's  the  type  of  person  who  will  say....  "There  isn't  really  a  problem  and  everything  is  fine!”  “That’s  the  way  it  is,  can’t  change  it.”  

Are  you  noticing  how  sneaky  and  insidious  that  particular  excuse  can  be?      

So  it's  form  of  denial  where  not  only  do  they  deny  what's  going  on  right  now  but  it's  like    "I  know  I'll  deal  with  it  later"  and  do  you  think  they  ever  do?        

I'm  wondering  if  you  can  imagine  for  a  moment  a  leader  constantly  below  the  line  and  how  that  might  look  and  end  up.    Go  forward  in  your  mind's  eye,  40  years.      

What  results  do  you  think  that  leader  is  going  to  be  getting?    Well  I'm  here  to  tell  you  today  that  below  the  line  thinking  is  easier  to  do  but  it's  also  the  least  satisfying  way  to  live.        

So  let's  flip  the  coin,  let's  go  above  the  line  and  everything  I'm  about  to  share  with  you  right  now  is  where  successful  leaders  operate.    

The  consistently  own  all  their  behaviours  and  goals  they  hold  themselves  accountable  for  whatever  has  occurred  under  their  watch.  They  are  responsible  for  the  results  they  get  in  every  area  of  their  leadership,  no  matter  what.  

Perhaps  there's  a  little  bit  of  a  gulp  factor  associated  with  it.    That's  okay  too  because,  you  know  what,  the  first  time  I  heard  about  this  I  had  a  gulp  factor  going  for  me,  it  was  

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like...    "I've  got  to  do  that  how  often?”    “I've  got  to  be  responsible  how  often?”      “I've  got  to  take  ownership?”    “I've  got  to  be  accountable?!!"      

Above  the  line  thinking  is  challenging  and  -­‐  you  know  what  -­‐  I  don't  know  there  are  a  lot  of  people  who  do  it  all  the  time.    I  do  know  some  rare  and  successful  leaders  who  seem  to  do  it  most  of  the  time  and  they're  amazing  and  they're  not  just  amazing  in  what  they've  created  in  their  lives,  they're  just  amazing  people  to  be  around  because  they  don't  make  excuses,  or  blame  or  deny  about  what  didn't  work  out  for  them.        

They  own  it  and  say,  "I  am  responsible".    They're  accountable  for  what's  going  on.        

So  it  isn't  just...  "Oh  they  didn't  take  care  of  it!"    -­‐  it's  rather  –  "You  know  what;  I  want  to  be  accountable  for  this  because  it's  only  in  a  space  of  being  accountable  that  I  can  make  any  impact  on  the  situation".              

Imagine  for  a  moment  you're  in  a  job  you're  not  satisfied  with  and  just  for  a  moment  go  below  the  line  and  blame  your  boss,  make  an  excuse  about  your  lack  of  education  or  even  deny  there's  a  problem,  you  will  make  do  with  the  situation.    You're  going  to  be  stuck  in  that  job  for  a  lot  longer.      

Now  go  above  the  line  and  notice  the  difference.  Take  ownership  of  how  it's  not  working  for  you.    Hold  yourself  accountable  for  changing  it  and  follow  through  with  a  sense  of  responsibility  that  “It  is  down  to  me,  the  buck  is  stopping  with  me  to  create  the  life  and  the  job  or  the  career  that  I  want  and  I  deserve.”      

Now  isn't  that  an  amazing  and  empowering  way  to  think?    And  is  it  a  challenging  way  to  think?    If  this  is  new  to  you,  then  yes,  I  think  it's  challenging  as  well.    

And  you  might  be  listening  to  this  and  thinking...  "Wow,  that  sounds  hard".        

Well  let  me  ask  you  a  question.    

"Is  it  hard  or  is  it  just  unfamiliar?"    

The  first  time  I  heard  this  it  was  very  unfamiliar  -­‐  it  was  a  real  stretch  for  me  to  get  my  head  around  what  that  would  mean  and  how  it  was  going  to  impact  my  leadership.  

Exercise:  So  grab  your  pen  and  write  down  three  to  five  areas  of  your  leadership  where  you've  been  below  the  line,  where  you  have  blamed  or  made  excuses  and  where  perhaps  you've  even  denied  there's  a  problem  until  now.      

 

   

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Now  think  about  and  identify  at  least  five  areas  within  your  leadership  where  you  do  take  ownership,  where  you  do  hold  yourself  accountable  and  where  you  do  take  responsibility.    

Exercise:  So  just  jot  down  now  five  areas  of  your  life  where  you  do  take  responsibility  and  ownership  and  you  hold  yourself  accountable  and  notice  how  good  it  feels  to  notice  those  areas  and  how  good  it  feels  to  claim  ownership  for  where  you  are  responsible.          

 

 

                             

                             

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Transformational  Leadership  Mindset  2  

Focus  is  Everything  

Have  you  ever  realised  that  your  thinking  -­‐  how  you  think,  what  you  think  and  when  you  think  certain  things  is  creating  your  reality.  If  you  want  to  change  your  leadership  experience  by  10%  then  you  will  need  to  change  your  thinking  and  your  attitude  by  10%.    

This  transformational  leadership  mindset  principle  says  that  what  you  focus  on  is  what  you  get  to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else.    

As  you  look  at  the  torch  above  we  notice  shine  that  torch,  where  you  focus  is  what  you're  going  to  notice,  that's  just  how  it  works.        

If  you're  in  a  dark  room  and  shine  your  torch  on  the  wall  you  will  notice  the  circle  or  the  oval  shape  that's  on  the  wall  because,  what  you  focus  on  is  what  you  get.    Now  notice  in  the  dark  room  where  you're  shining  the  torch,  what  you  focus  on  is  what  you  get  and  everything  else  is  left  out.    It's  not  being  picked  up  the  torch  beam.              

Interesting  you  say,  but  what's  that  got  to  do  with  my  leadership  mindset.    Well  the  same  principle  holds  for  you  and  your  leadership  right  now.    What  you're  focusing  on  is  what  you  are  noticing.    If  you're  focusing  on  lack  -­‐  you're  experiencing  lack.    If  you're  focusing  on  abundance  I  know  you're  experiencing  abundance.    If  you  focus  on  the  shortcoming  of  those  who  work  for  you,  you  will  see  more  problems.  If  you  focus  on  opportunities  within  a  project,  you  will  find  great  opportunities.    

This  universal  law  is  true  for  everybody.    What  you're  focusing  on  currently  in  your  leadership  is  determining  the  results  that  you're  getting.        

For  example,  if  you  spend  a  lot  of  time  focusing  on  problems  and  the  stuff  that's  going  wrong,  do  you  notice  how  you  seem  to  get  more  problems  and  as  you  get  more  problems,  do  you  notice  you  start  feeling  down  about  yourself  and  kind  of  irritated  or  frustrated  and  the  more  you  focus  on  that  are  you  noticing  how  you  get  even  more  of  the  same?    

 

Your  Reality  

Potential  Reality  

Potential  Reality  

Potential  Reality  

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

And  now  let's  flip  it.    What  are  you  excluding  to  be  able  to  focus  on  all  those  problems  and  the  frustration,  the  irritation  and  everything  else  that  comes  with  it?    Aren't  you  excluding  all  the  solutions?    Think  about  it.    Using  the  metaphor  of  the  torchlight.  You  have  within  you  the  torchlight  of  possibility.    Where  you  shine  your  torch  but  where  you  shine  your  torch  that  will  determine  your  outcome.    If  you  focus  on  solutions,  creativity,  positives  etc  you  will  notice  them.  We  are  not  talking  about  denying  reality  and  positive  thinking.  That  isn’t  helpful.  Let  me  illustrate  the  difference  between  positive  thinking  and  the  power  of  focus.    

I  once  was  talking  with  a  colleague  of  mine  and  we  were  talking  about  networking  events.  He  expressed  a  very  negative  view  of  them.  I  was  curious  about  his  mindset.  I  asked  him  what  his  experience  of  them  was.  He  went  onto  describe  a  really  depressing  and  difficult  scenario  that  he  said  was  repeated  on  numerous  occasions.  I  then  asked  him  about  his  mindset  when  he  went  into  these  events.  He  told  me  it  was  things  like,  “I’m  not  good  at  talking  with  strangers”,  “Will  anyone  want  to  talk  with  me?”  “How  can  I  make  this  as  quick  and  comfortable  as  possible?”  What  do  you  think  his  results  were?  He  would  get  a  drink,  stand  in  the  corner,  look  uncomfortable,  someone  would  take  pity  on  him  and  try  to  talk  with  him  only  to  receive  curt  answers,  and  then  leaves  soon  after.  His  focus  got  him  the  results.  He  asked  me  about  my  results  and  experience.  I  explained  that  when  I  go  into  a  networking  room  my  belief  is,  “Of  course  everyone  will  want  to  talk  with  me,  why  wouldn’t  they”,  “I  wonder  what  fascinating  people  I  will  meet  and  find  out  about  today”,  “I  might  be  able  to  learn  something  today  that  will  help  accelerate  my  results.”  

Interestingly  my  friend  replied,  “Yes  that’s  just  you  Craig,  I’m  not  like  you.”  Did  you  hear  the  ‘below  the  line’  mindset  in  that  statement?  He  was  making  an  excuse  and  not  taking  responsibility  for  his  results.  Somehow  he  believed  that  he  was  destined  to  be  poor  at  networking.  

Our  focus  can  exclude  other  possibilities  and  experiences.  When  we  choose  to  change  or  expand  our  focus  our  results  may  not  change  straight  away.    

My  friend  who  believed  he  was  hopeless  at  networking  wasn’t  that  great  at  small  talk.  That  was  the  reality.  He  felt  awkward.  His  focus  was  on  himself,  his  feelings.  So  he  changed  his  focus.  He  went  to  networking  events  determined  to  find  5  interesting  people  and  discover  something  new.  He  also  focused  on  the  fact  that  many  other  people  weren’t  good  at  small  talk  and  were  feeling  uncomfortable.  So  his  mindset  was  to  find  those  people  and  engage  in  conversations  that  were  substantial  and  help  them  not  feel  so  awkward.    

 

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If  your  leadership  torch  light  is  focused  on  an  experience  where  you  were  let  down  by  someone  you  might  think  or  conclude  "that  means  this  will  always  happen.”      

You'll  make  what's  called  a  generalisation.    You'll  assume  that  everything  else  is  the  same  because  you  are  experiencing  it  in  this  one  occasion.    

If  you  shift  your  focus  you  will  notice  that  there  are  other  times  when  this  same  person  hasn’t  let  you  down  and  when  others  don’t  let  you  down.  You  would  not  notice  this  if  you  choose  not  to  take  control  of  where  and  what  you  focus  on.    

This  is  not  to  say  that  we  can’t  be  realists  as  leaders.  The  same  things  can  exist  in  the  same  workplace.    

The  mind  is  constantly  searching  for  what  we're  familiar  with.    

Recently  I  was  facilitating  a  team  workshop.  This  team  was  full  of  dedicated,  skilled  and  passionate  people.  The  morale  of  the  team  was  low  and  they  had  started  to  niggle  and  fight  between  each  other.  The  leader  asked  me  to  come  and  assist  them.  I  interviewed  all  of  them.  They  were  upset  with  each  other,  they  were  frustrated  with  the  amount  of  ‘interruptions’  that  certain  emergencies  had  taken,  and  they  were  feeling  like  they  hadn’t  accomplished  much.  When  I  got  them  together  as  a  group  the  first  thing  I  asked  them  to  do  was  write  down  what  they  personally  had  accomplished  in  the  last  6  months.  I  got  them  each  to  read  it  out,  and  then  I  invited  the  others  in  the  team  to  ‘remind’  them  of  other  things  they  had  achieved.  After  one  hour  the  morale,  interaction  and  frustration  in  this  team  had  disappeared  as  they  shifted  their  focus  on  the  apparent  lack  of  cooperation,  achievement  and  synergy  occurring  to  what  they  had  collectively  achieved  and  contributed.    

This  team  had  always  been  achieving  yet  they  were  focusing  on  the  small  number  of  things  that  they  hadn’t  been  able  to  achieve  up  to  that  date.    

Focus  is  everything.  

The  most  effective  leaders  focus  on  opportunity,  possibility  and  potential.  Anyone  can  be  a  ‘negative  nelly’.  It  takes  courage  to  choose  to  focus  on  the  potential  talent  before  it  is  realised  in  people.  It  takes  courage  to  stare  a  costly  problem  in  the  face  and  to  tell  the  team  you  are  excited  about  the  creativity  it  will  take  to  overcome  this.  

Now  the  story  above  is  a  really  simple  example  of  how  powerful  this  is  and  how  powerful  it  can  be  in  your  leadership.    

Where  do  you  focus,  what  do  you  experience  in  your  life  and  leadership?    And  you're  wondering...  "Well  how  do  I  work  out  what  I'm  focusing  on,  I  don't  know  what  I'm  focusing  on  Craig,  give  me  something".      It's  easy.    What  results  are  you  experiencing?  

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This  one  principle  has  the  power  to  allow  you  to  see  the  magnificence  in  other  people.  If  you  can  see  it  in  them,  then  you  can  also  see  it  in  yourself.  

This  one  key  has  the  power  to  enable  you  to  focus  on  your  strengths,  and  not  your  weaknesses  allowing  you  to  improve  your  results  in  whatever  you  do.  

This  one  key  has  the  power  to  release  you  from  anger  or  hurt,  because  you  will  see  the  lessons  in  the  situation  and  the  growth  rather  than  just  the  damage.  

If  you  focus  on  what  you  can’t  control  you  will  feel  miserable  and  constantly  overwhelmed.  If  you  focus  on  what  you  can  control,  your  thoughts,  your  attitude,  your  responses  to  everything  then  you  will  feel  empowered,  confident  and  joy.    

 

Transformational  Leadership  Mindset  3  

The  Map  Is  Not  The  Territory    

 

No  matter  what  you  think  reality  is,  it  can  only  be  your  interpretation  of.  The  best  map  of  Sydney  can  never  be  Sydney;  it  can  only  be  a  re-­‐presentation  of  what  Sydney  is.    

This  means  you  cannot  experience  the  world  the  way  it  is  you  can  only  experience  it  based  on  your  beliefs  and  your  values.      

Think  about  for  a  moment  the  number  of  times  you  hear  eyewitness  accounts  of  crime  being  totally  different.    If  you  have  20  eyewitnesses  you’re  probably  going  to  get  around  20  different  statements  and  they’re  all  going  to  have  some  variety  of  what  was  going  on.          

So  no  matter  how  accurate  you  think  you’re  experiencing  reality  you  can  only  experience  your  definition  of  reality.    If  you’re  hearing  that  going..."yeah  so  what,  what  difference  does  that  make?”      That  means  no  matter  what  situation  you’re  in,  you  get  to  choose  

 

Taking  control  of  how  you  interpret  the  world  is  a  crucial  mindset  to  being  an  effective  leader  because  the  ‘map  is  not  the  territory’.  

 

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how  you’re  going  to  experience  it.    No  matter  what  happens,  you  get  to  choose  how  you’re  going  to  interpret  that  event.    

I’ll  give  you  a  really  simple  example  about  this.    Have  you  ever  had  a  time  when  you’re  working  away  and  somebody  walks  past  you  and  they  kind  of  frown  and  don’t  acknowledge  you  and  you  kind  of  think,  "Huh,  what’s  that  about,  why  didn’t  they  say  hello  to  me,  what’s  wrong,  don’t  they  like  me  anymore,  have  I  done  something  wrong?"  -­‐    or  whatever.        

The  quality  of  our  leadership  (and  our  life  for  that  matter)  is  determined  by  the  meaning  we  give  to  the  events  that  happen  and  the  choices  we  make  as  a  result  of  those  meanings.    

Throughout  the  world  there  are  many  leaders  who  have  had  to  overcome  extraordinary  hardships,  loss  or  challenge  and  yet  gone  on  to  lead  remarkably  organisations.  Someone  like  Nelson  Mandela  or  Ghandi  come  to  mind.    

Essentially  what  we  are  talking  about  is  a  mindset  that  takes  control  of  the  lens  through  which  you  lead.    

My  favourite  example  is  of  Roger  Bannister.  For  years  it  was  ‘accepted  as  impossible’  that  a  person  could  run  a  mile  in  less  than  4  minutes.  In  1954,  Roger  Bannister  did  exactly  what  everyone  agreed  was  impossible.  He  achieved  this  feat  through  physical  and  mental  practice.    

What  is  remarkable  about  this  story  goes  far  beyond  what  Bannister  achieved.  Within  one  year  of  his  feat  37  other  runners  broke  the  four-­‐minute  mile.  Another  year  after  that,  another  300  runners  did  the  same  thing.  

What  had  changed?  All  that  had  changed  was  what  people  thought  was  possible.    

What  this  tells  us  is  that  it  isn’t  the  event  or  the  circumstances  that  has  meaning.  We  can  never  see  the  event  exactly  as  it  is.  Our  interpretation  of  the  event  comes  about  because  of  combination  of  your  beliefs  (your  feelings  of  certainty  about  what  something  means),  your  values  (the  emotions  that  you  want  to  experience  on  a  consistent  basis)  and  your  experiences  (what  you  believe  has  happened  to  you).  

These  ‘filters’  determine  how  we  lead.  As  you  take  control  of  how  you  interpret  your  world  you  can  also  take  control  of  how  you  can  influence  (which  is  the  essence  of  leadership).    

The  information  we  get  comes  through  our  senses.  We  are  bombarded  with  an  estimated  two  million  bits  of  information  every  second.  We  could  not  possibly  absorb  

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

and  process  all  this  information.  Most  people  can  only  manage  132  bits  of  information  –  or  around  7  chunks  of  information  (information  that  is  within  the  same  category).  

Our  minds  protect  us  by  filtering  out  what  it  considers  irrelevant.  

The  question  is  how  does  our  mind  decide  what  is  relevant  or  not?  What  we  ‘filter  in’  is  what  we  believe  we  need  or  will  need  for  a  future  time.  This  explains  why  two  leaders  can  be  in  the  same  meeting  and  come  out  with  very  different  understandings  of  what  was  discussed  and  decided.  They  are  basing  it  on  their  own  filters.    

The  filters  in  our  mind  constantly  delete,  distort  or  generalise  about  what  an  event  means.    

We  delete  what  is  irrelevant,  distort  our  experiences  to  fit  within  what  we  are  familiar  and  comfortable  with  and  generalise  one  thing  to  mean  something  we  have  experienced  before.  

For  instance,  think  about  someone  at  work  who  you  find  difficult  to  like  or  relate  too.  They  maybe  do  something  that  annoys  you  or  violates  your  rules  about  how  people  should  conduct  themselves  at  work.  To  not  like  them,  what  do  you  have  to  delete  about  them  that  is  likeable?  Maybe  they  are  really  kind  to  a  fellow  worker,  maybe  they  are  always  respectful  in  meetings  you  are  in,  etc.  Perhaps  you  have  magnified  a  trait  that  annoys  you.  NOW  that  is  all  you  notice  about  them.  Perhaps  they  did  something  you  didn’t  like  once  and  you  have  generalised  to  equate  to  their  personality.  

A  leader  has  to  tackle  tasks  that  are  challenging.  Imagine  you  are  faced  with  a  challenging  task.  You  have  never  been  about  to  accomplish  it  successfully  before.  You  feel  intimidated  by  the  thought  of  having  to  do  it  and  you  tell  yourself  you  will  probably  get  it  wrong.  

What  are  you  filtering  out  to  decide  to  be  intimated  by  this  challenge?  What  evidence  of  your  abilities  are  you  deleting?  What  past  events  do  you  need  to  distort  to  give  yourself  the  most  anxiety?  

Now  think  of  a  task  that  you  find  easy  to  do,  drive  a  car  or  tie  your  shoelaces.  What  do  you  need  to  delete  to  decide  you  can  do  this  task?  Don’t  you  need  to  delete  the  evidence  of  when  you  first  started  doing  these  tasks?  A  time  when  you  found  them  intimidating  and  difficult?  

As  a  leader  one  of  our  tasks  is  to  help  define  ‘reality’  for  the  organisation.  Some  realities  are  empowering  and  some  are  disabling.  This  leadership  mindset  enables  you  to  help  those  you  lead  to  take  control  of  how  they  are  thinking  about  the  challenges  they  face.    This  mindset  has  even  greater  power  because  it  helps  you  to  create  a  reality  that  you  before  thought  was  impossible.  

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I  met  a  leader  a  number  of  years  ago  who  believed  that  people  were  full  of  weakness  and  faults.  His  experience  was  that  were  people  were  generally  disappointing  and  incapable  of  accomplishing  what  he  needed  them  too.  His  trust  level  was  very  low.  Through  self-­‐reflection  and  the  5  principles  we  discussed  earlier  he  shifted  his  map  of  the  world.  Since  this  time  he  tells  me  he  is  yet  to  find  an  employee  who  he  can’t  trust  and  is  full  of  potential.  His  experience  of  the  workplace  has  shifted  entirely.  The  people  are  the  same  but  his  filters  have  changed.  

You  have  so  many  choices  when  you  start  really  playing  around  with  your  map  and  how  you  choose  to  experience  it.  

The  questions  that  help  you  in  all  leadership  situations  to  help  you  control  your  (and  other’s  maps  of  the  world)  are:  

• “What  results  do  I  want?”  • "What  would  I  need  to  start  noticing?”    • “What  would  I  need  to  start  filtering  in?”    • “What  would  I  need  to  start  experiencing  differently?"            • "What  beliefs  would  I  need  to  start  having  to  really  create  the  change"?        

For  example  if  you  believe  change  is  hard  you’re  only  noticing  right  now  where  change  is  hard.    Change  your  belief  right  now  -­‐  change  is  possible  right  now.        

If  you  have  a  belief  that  it  takes  a  long  time  to  build  a  relationship  with  someone,  change  your  belief  -­‐  it’s  easy  to  build  relationships  with  people,  all  the  time.    

The  next  time  somebody  is  snappy  with  you  smile  and  wonder  and  be  curious...    "I  wonder  what’s  going  on  for  them  to  choose  that  emotion".    

Or  the  next  time  you’re  in  a  situation  that  everybody’s  getting  really  stressed  -­‐  give  it  a  different  meaning  -­‐  choose  to  be  relaxed  and  calm  and  efficient  and  be  a  leader.    The  next  time  there’s  somebody  who’s  abrasive  just  choose  to  smile  and  support  them  instead  of  getting  offended.        

Change  the  meaning  of  everything  and  notice  what  turns  up.    I  invite  you  to  play  with  this  amazing  concept.    

 

 

 

 

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

Transformational  Leadership  Mindset  4  

Embracing  the  Unfamiliar  

One  of  the  greatest  speeches  given  in  the  last  century  was  by  John  F  Kennedy.  In  it  he  set  the  lofty  goal  to  put  a  man  on  the  moon.  It  was  a  vision  that  many  people  resonated  with.  It  would  have  been  only  empty  words  unless  some  astronauts  were  prepared  to  go  beyond  what  they  knew,  strapped  themselves  into  a  rocket  and  hoped  that  they  wouldn’t  bounce  back  into  space  and  be  lost  forever.    

Knowledge  is  only  knowledge  if  we  apply  it.  It  takes  courage  to  embrace  the  unfamiliar  around  us  and  in  us.  This  leadership  mindset  serves  all  great  leaders.    

At  the  base  of  this  mindset  is  the  understanding  that  we  do  more  to  avoid  pain  than  we  will  to  feel  pleasure.    This  means  that  we  will  avoid  whatever  we  think  will  cause  us  discomfort,  failure  or  distress.  It  means  we  would  prefer  the  comfort  of  what  we  do  know  to  the  risk  of  what  we  could  know.  

I’ll  give  a  really  simple  example.    A  lot  of  the  times  when  somebody  procrastinates  around  something  they  know  what  they  really  should  do  -­‐  like  have  a  difficult  conversation  with  a  colleague  or  make  a  phone  call.    There  is  a  perception  in  that  person  that  the  pain  of  making  the  phone  call,  for  whatever  reason,  is  greater  than  the  pleasure  they’ll  receive.    

The  pain  of  maybe  failing  is  greater  than  the  pleasure  of  possible  success.    Any  area  of  your  life  where  you’re  not  acting  totally,  congruently  and  just  going  for  it,  I  believe  the  principle  of  pain  versus  pleasure  could  be  turning  up  for  you.    

How  valuable  is  this  going  to  be,  not  just  for  you  but  how  you  notice  other  people  and  their  choices.    We’re  all  operating  using  this  principle,  we’ll  do  more  to  avoid  pain  than  we  will  to  feel  pleasure  and  pain  usually  comes  in  the  form  of  fear.    

Most  people  fear  three  things...    

•  They  fear  not  being  loved    

•  They  fear  not  belonging    

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•  They  fear  not  being  good  enough  

The  potential  pain  of  any  of  those  three  fears  is  enough  often  times  to  stop...us  acting.    

Most  of  us  have  a  fear  of  going  into  the  unknown,  outside  of  our  comfort  zone.  

So  you’re  hearing  this  and  you’re  thinking...  "Well  what  do  I  do,  I  mean  I'm  not  going  to  do  anything  that’s  going  to  cause  me  pain  so  that  means  I'm  not  going  to  do  anything,  what  good’s  this,  I  might  as  well  stop".        

There  is  a  solution.    Let  me  explain.      

You  need  to  raise  the  level  of  pain  around  not  acting  so  it’s  greater  than  the  pain  of  taking  the  risk  of  acting.    An  easy  example  would  be  public  speaking.    Can  you  believe  it  is  the  number  one  fear  in  the  western  world  -­‐  speaking  in  public?    Apparently  most  people  would  rather  be  the  person  in  the  box  than  the  person  delivering  the  eulogy.  

So  the  pain  of  delivering  a  public  speech,  what  would  be  the  pain?    Well  I  could  really  make  a  mess  of  it  and  fail  in  front  of  everybody,  I  could  be  judged  and  you  could  boil  that  down  to  the  three  fears  -­‐  a  fear  of  not  being  loved,  a  fear  of  not  belonging  and  a  fear  of  not  being  good  enough.    

Let’s  just  imagine  for  a  moment  the  fear  is  of  ‘not  being  enough’.    So  the  person  builds  it  up  in  their  minds  "I  can’t  do  it,  I  can’t  do  it,  so  what  if  I'm  not  enough,  what  if  I  fail,  what  if  I  get  judged"  -­‐  they  just  get  themselves  into  a  total  spin.    Let's  use  this  law  to  turn  it  around.    What  would  be  the  worst-­‐case  scenario  if  you  didn’t  do  it?    Well  for  me  personally  if  I  didn’t  do  the  thing  that  I  was  fearful  of  I'd  feel  disappointed  in  myself,  I'd  feel  that  I'd  let  myself  down.    I'd  feel  if  I  decided  not  to  do  a  public  speech  that  I  really  wasn’t  serving  everybody  in  the  room  who’d  come  to  see  me.    

And  if  I  really,  really  thought  about  it,  I'd  be  so  disappointed  in  myself  in  the  years  ahead.    I'd  always  be  regretting  the  fact  that  I  didn’t  do  it  and  if  you  really  focus  on  the  pain  that  you’ll  experience  through  not  doing  a  thing  and  really  raise  that  level  of  pain,  if  it  becomes  greater  than  the  pain  of  acting  and  the  fear  of  failure  -­‐  you’ll  act  finally.      

You’ve  got  to  really  tip  the  scales  in  your  favour  and  conspire  for  your  success.    

One  of  the  biggest  tasks  of  leadership  is  to  forge  new  paths.  Many  leaders  however  are  forging  new  paths  in  an  abstract  world  and  not  willing  to  explore  new  ideas  for  themselves.    

Leaders  like  all  people,  like  to  feel  safe  and  in  control.  Yet  all  growth  happens  outside  of  our  comfort  zone.  All  growth  happens  in  the  stretch  zone.  The  place  where  you  have  butterflies  in  your  stomach  because  you  don’t  know  how  something  is  going  to  go.  

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

To  be  a  great  leader  you  need  to  be  willing  to  explore  and  embrace  the  unfamiliar  more  than  anyone  else.  What  if  you  decided  that  you  would  do  something  every  day  that  gave  you  butterflies  in  the  stomach.    

Let’s  briefly  revisit  this  concept.      We  do  more  to  avoid  pain  than  we  will  to  feel  pleasure.  So  to  create  the  change  you’ve  got  to  raise  the  level  of  pain  around  not  changing  so  that  it  is  so  great  you  feel  compelled  to  get  off  the  couch  and  get  moving.        

Now  most  people  will  do  pretty  well  anything  to  avoid  fear,  but  isn’t  it  just  imagined  fear?      

How  many  times  have  you  been  in  a  situation  and  you’ve  said...  "No,  no,  I  can’t  do  it,  stop  asking  me  to  do  it,  I  can’t  do  it,  I'm  really  scared"  And  then  you  finally  do  the  thing  and  you  ended  up  quite  enjoying  it  after  all.    What’s  that  about?    

Most  fears,  except  for  genuine  fears  of  life  and  limb,  are  in  our  heads.    Have  you  ever  noticed  this  -­‐  the  longer  you  don’t  do  that  thing  the  tougher  it  gets  to  do  it  because  the  fear  just  gets  bigger  and  bigger  and  bigger  and  "Oh  my  gosh  I  can’t  do  it".      

What’s  the  truth?    Imagine  for  a  moment  you’re  a  kid,  kids  don’t  think  about  diving  into  the  pool,  they  just  jump  and  play  and  splash,  they  don’t  think  about  artwork  needing  to  be  perfect,  they  just  sludge  their  hands  all  over  everything  and  have  a  great  time.    

They’re  not  worried  about  getting  their  clothes  dirty  when  they  splash  into  a  puddle  -­‐  parents  will  know  this!    They’re  going  to  splash  and  have  fun,  they  just  do  it,  they  just  get  on  with  it.    So  am  I  saying  be  like  a  kid  –  absolutely  -­‐  have  a  sense  of  playfulness  about  this.    It’s  not  the  end  of  the  world  having  a  go;  your  getting  up  off  the  couch  allows  so  much  more  to  turn  up  in  your  life.    

If  you’re  considering  this  thinking...  "But  what  if  it  doesn’t  work  out,  are  you  saying  that  if  I  use  this  everything  will  be  perfect?"      

No,  you’ll  still  have  problems  but  the  difference  is  you’ll  become  the  person  you  need  to  be  to  handle  them.    That’s  what  this  is  all  about.    

What  we  learn  through  the  Transformational  Leadership  Mindset  is  that  your  level  of  success  is  directly  proportional  to  the  level  of  uncertainty  you  can  handle  in  your  life.    And  some  of  you  might  be  hearing  this  going  "I  don’t  know  if  I  can  handle  uncertainty  

Some  leaders  think  that  they  have  to  ‘feel’  courageous  before  they  act.    

Courage  doesn’t  get  posted  to  you  when  you  need  it.    The  only  way  that  you  can  experience  courage  is  through  action,  and  the  longer  you  stay  stationary  the  harder  it  is  to  take  that  first  step,  so  you’ve  got  to  get  moving  today.    

The  only  thing  you  can  learn  through  playing  it  safe  is  mediocrity.  The  only  way  to  discover  courage  within  you  is  to  act,  even  when  you  feel  fear.    

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You  must  be  willing  to  explore  and  embrace  the  unfamiliar.    

Some  people  want  to  feel  in  control  of  their  lives,  which  means  they  never  do  anything  where  they  don’t  know  the  outcome.    

The  truth  is  life  is  uncertain.  The  more  energy  we  use  trying  to  eliminate  uncertainty  and  control  it  the  more  time  we  are  wasting.  More  than  that,  the  unhappier  we  will  be.  The  reality  is  that  we  need  a  sense  of  adventure,  progress  and  variety  in  order  to  experience  joy  and  happiness  regularly.  

A  lot  of  people  will  say  they  avoid  situations  that  involve  them  going  outside  their  comfort  zone.  Yet  the  only  way  to  create  change  we  want  in  our  life  is  to  go  to  what  I  call  the  stretching  point.  That  point  where  it  isn’t  the  breaking  point  but  you  are  definitely  uncomfortable.    

What  I  am  saying  is  that  looking  for  certainty  in  our  future  as  a  leader  is  surrendering  our  greatest  gift…the  ability  to  enjoy  the  ride  regardless  of  where  it  takes  us.  

How  do  we  do  this?  

Give  up  the  need  to  be  right.  Surrender  the  desire  to  win  an  argument,  prove  your  point,  and  correct  someone.  As  you  give  up  this  need  you  will  notice  the  difference  and  celebrate  them.  You  will  realise  there  are  often  many  ways  to  do  the  same  thing.  You  will  be  open  to  learning  from  people  who  you  were  closed  off  too  before.  

Get  used  to  saying,”  maybe…”  Instead  of  having  to  know  the  answer,  get  in  the  habit  of  being  curious  about  what  all  the  possibilities  could  be.  Someone  says,  “This  won’t  work.”  Suppress  the  need  to  say  how  it  will,  or  why  you  think  it  won’t.  Instead  say,  “Maybe…”  

• Instead  of  saying,  “I  hope  this  works  out…”  say  “I  wonder  how  it  will  work  out”  • Instead  of  saying,  “I  hope  I  get  the  job”  say  “I  wonder  if  I’ll  get  the  job”  • Instead  of  saying  “I  wish  this  was  easier”,  say  “I’m  curious  about  how  to  do  it  

easier”.  

Do  you  notice  the  difference  in  how  that  feels  when  you  hear  or  say  those  sentences?  

Get  curious  about  what  you  don’t  know.  The  one  secret  to  growth  and  fulfilment  is  to  be  curious  about  what  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  comfort  zone.  Be  prepared  to  commit  to  stepping  out  at  least  once  a  day.  

Acknowledge  yourself.  Even  if  you  take  a  tiny  step,  take  the  time  to  acknowledge  yourself  for  doing  it.  Praise  yourself  and  say,  ‘well  done’.  You  are  worthy  of  praise  when  you  act  with  courage  or  try  something  new.  More  importantly  you  are  worth  acknowledging  simply  for  who  you  are.  

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

Transformational  Leadership  Mindset  5  

Language  Creates  Our  Experience    

 We  all  know  the  power  of  words.  Most  people  can  remember  some  words,  for  good  or  not,  decades  after  they  were  spoken.  The  words  we  speak  to  others  as  leaders  have  real  power.    

The  words  we  speak  originate  internally.  

The  final  Transformational  Leadership  Mindset  is  that  language  creates  our  experience.    How  we  communicate  with  others  and  ourselves  will  determine  the  quality  of  our  leadership.      

Your  language  is  determining  your  experience.    In  fact  the  quality  of  your  questions  that  you  ask  yourself  and  ask  others  will  determine  the  quality  of  your  life.    If  you  ask  a  lousy  question,  you  will  get  a  lousy  answer.              

I’ll  tell  you  a  lousy  question  -­‐    "Why  me?"  -­‐  probably  the  worst  question  on  the  planet.      

My  answer  is  -­‐  "Why  not?"  –  this  may  sound  like  I’m  being  flippant  but  it’s  so  true.    

If  you  ‘think’  a  question  all  the  time  like  "Why  me",  what  you’re  really  saying  is,  "Why  do  I  have  problems?”        

You  have  problems  because  you’re  alive,  problems  are  built  into  life,  they're  inevitable.    If  there  weren’t  challenges,  complications,  hurdles  (read  problems)  then  why  do  they  need  you?  You  are  a  leader  because  you  can  develop  solutions  and  help  others  to  get  on  board  with  them.  

If  as  a  result  of  a  problem  you  choose  to  be  a  victim  with  your  language  you  experience  victimhood,  you’ve  created  that  for  yourself.    Ask  a  better  quality  question  and  you’ll  get  better  quality  answer.    

What  about  if  you  keeping  asking  yourself  the  question...  "How  do  I  turn  this  around  and  how  do  I  make  it  outstanding?    

Your  brain  will  answer  that  question  whether  you’re  aware  of  it  or  not  and  it  might  answer  it  with  something  like  this...    

"Well  the  way  I  can  turn  it  around  is  to  take  massive  action,  take  responsibility,  take  ownership,  get  above  the  line  in  my  thinking.    And  the  next  thing  I  can  do  is  be  at  cause  and  know  that  I'm  100%  responsible  for  turning  this  around  –  nobody  else  is  -­‐  it’s  down  to  

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me.    The  next  thing  I  can  do  is  to  get  some  support  and  ask  some  great  questions  of  somebody  else  or  perhaps  read  a  book  to  become  an  expert  in  this  area  and  the  next  thing  I'm  going  to  do  is  persist  and  persist  and  persist,  because  I  know  there  could  be  a  lag  time  in  creating  the  results  that  I  want."              

The  quality  of  your  questions  will  determine  the  quality  of  your  life  so  ask  yourself  some  phenomenal  questions...    

• "How  can  I  improve  on  this?”    • “Who  do  I  need  to  be  and  what  do  I  need  to  do  to  create  the  results  I'm  looking  

for?”    • “What’s  outstanding  in  this  moment?”    • “If  this  wasn’t  a  problem  but  I  chose  to  perceive  it  as  a  gift,  what  would  I  then  do  

or  how  would  I  feel?”    • “Who  do  I  love  right  now  and  who  loves  me?"    

The  first  step  you  need  to  do  is  to  identify  what  do  you  keep  communicating  with  yourself  on  a  consistent  basis.    Is  there  a  pattern  of  questioning  going  on  within  you  constantly?      

These  can  be  positive  or  negative.  What  you  want  to  notice,  especially  under  pressure,  what  am  I  saying  is  possible?  What  do  I  believe  about  myself  in  this  situation  through  my  words?  

I  was  coaching  a  leader  in  an  emergency  service  a  while  back.  Those  around  her  saw  and  affirmed  her  talent  and  ability.  When  we  talked  a  lot  of  the  time  she  would  answer  my  questions  with,  “Does  that  seem  right?”  She  was  communicating  to  herself  that  she  really  didn’t  know  the  best  path  for  herself.  

Our  language  portrays  to  us  our  beliefs  about  the  world.  When  you  listen  to  what  you  are  saying  constantly  to  others  you  are  also  hearing  your  beliefs,  which  simply  reinforce  your  sense  of  certainty  about  something.  

Let  me  take  a  belief  that  I  am  passionate  about.  You  hear  many  leaders  talking  about  how  ‘good  people  are  hard  to  find’,  ‘money  is  tight’,  ‘it  is  hard  to  get  enough  work’.  These  all  reveal  a  scarcity  mindset.  The  more  they  repeat  these  mantra’s  the  more  they  are  defining  and  creating  their  experience.  

This  is  not  to  say  that  there  are  not  realities  to  be  negotiated.      

However  when  a  scarcity  mindset  takes  over,  we  tend  to  experience  a  regression  of  imagination.  It  feels  as  though  things  will  either  remain  the  same  as  they  are  right  now  or  get  worse.  And,  that  can  cause  us  to  get  stuck.  

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

At  its  root,  the  scarcity  mentality  means  that  people  are  scared.  These  folks  become  so  afraid  they  will  lose  what  they  have,  that  they  start  hoarding  their  assets.  They  withhold  from  others  and  by  doing  that  they  begin  to  withhold  from  themselves.  As  a  result,  they  become  afraid  to  invest  in  themselves  and  in  others.  Without  this  investment,  their  opportunities  begin  to  shrink.  

Replacing  this  scarcity  mentality  with  an  abundance  mentality  forces  us  out  of  the  mire.  The  idea  of  plenty  works  because  it  fits  with  reality—the  way  life  works.    

The  root  of  the  word  ABUNDANCE  comes  from  the  waves  of  the  ocean.  I  love  the  beach  and  it  amazes  me  to  watch  how  the  waves  keep  coming,  one  after  another.  I’m  struck  by  the  way  the  ocean  is  filled  with  abundant  life,  and  the  waves  continue  to  come  in  perpetuity.  

Developing  a  mindset  of  plenty  becomes  essential  when  you’re  attempting  to  lead  yourself  and  others.  Leadership  is  “influencer-­‐ship.”  The  abundance  mentality  influences  followers  by  lifting  their  spirits  and  convincing  them  that  their  needs  will  be  met.  

There  is  abundance  in  this  life.  Genuine  leaders  tap  into  it.  Then—instead  of  being  a  reservoir,  hoarding  resources—they  become  a  river.  As  a  river  flows,  they  pass  on  what  they  have  to  others.  They  become  like  the  waves  of  the  ocean  washing  up  on  the  sand  and  then  receding,  with  more  to  follow.  They  receive,  and  then  continue  to  give.  And,  they  don’t  have  to  worry,  more  is  on  the  way.  

This  is  what  Stephen  Covey  calls  “Think  Win-­‐Win”.  It  isn't  about  being  nice,  nor  is  it  a  quick-­‐fix  technique.  It  is  a  character-­‐based  code  for  human  interaction  and  collaboration.      Most  of  us  learn  to  base  our  self-­‐worth  on  comparisons  and  competition.  We  think  about  succeeding  in  terms  of  someone  else  failing-­‐-­‐that  is,  if  I  win,  you  lose;  or  if  you  win,  I  lose.  Life  becomes  a  zero-­‐sum  game.  There  is  only  so  much  pie  to  go  around,  and  if  you  get  a  big  piece,  there  is  less  for  me;  it's  not  fair,  and  I'm  going  to  make  sure  you  don't  get  anymore.  We  all  play  the  game,  but  how  much  fun  is  it  really?      Win-­‐win  sees  life  as  a  cooperative  arena,  not  a  competitive  one.  Win-­‐win  is  a  frame  of  mind  and  heart  that  constantly  seeks  mutual  benefit  in  all  human  interactions.  Win-­‐win  means  agreements  or  solutions  are  mutually  beneficial  and  satisfying.  We  both  get  to  eat  the  pie,  and  it  tastes  pretty  darn  good!      A  person  or  organization  that  approaches  conflicts  with  a  win-­‐win  attitude  possesses  three  vital  character  traits:  1. Integrity:  sticking  with  your  true  feelings,  values,  and  commitments  2. Maturity:  expressing  your  ideas  and  feelings  with  courage  and  consideration  for  the  

ideas  and  feelings  of  others  3. Abundance  Mentality:  believing  there  is  plenty  for  everyone    

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Many  people  think  in  terms  of  either/or:  either  you're  nice  or  you're  tough.  Win-­‐win  requires  that  you  be  both.  It  is  a  balancing  act  between  courage  and  consideration.  To  go  for  win-­‐win,  you  not  only  have  to  be  empathic,  but  you  also  have  to  be  confident.  You  not  only  have  to  be  considerate  and  sensitive,  you  also  have  to  be  brave.  To  do  that-­‐-­‐to  achieve  that  balance  between  courage  and  consideration-­‐-­‐is  the  essence  of  real  maturity  and  is  fundamental  to  win-­‐win.  

An  abundance  mentality  enables  the  leader  to  “step  up”  and  rise  to  challenges  and  seek  opportunities  that  will  enable  a  fulfilling  personal  and  professional  life.  Such  an  individual  will  seek  and  attract,  people  and  experiences  assisting  in  his/her  quest  to  achieve  greater  personal  and  professional  success.  

As  with  many  things  in  life,  cultivating  an  abundance  mentality  takes  time  and  is  not  an  overnight  miraculous  transformation.  It  requires  the  individual  to  get  to  know  him/herself  at  a  deeper  level  and  to  be  honest.  It  also  requires  the  determination  to  make  the  necessary  changes,  which  lead  to  personal  and  professional  good.  

• Scarcity  –  Not  enough  blessing  to  go  around.  • Abundance  –  More  than  enough  blessing  to  go  around.    

• Scarcity  –  I  have  to  succeed  and  make  sure  that  I  look  good.  • Abundance  –  If  I  succeed  and  you  succeed,  then  we  all  succeed.    

• Scarcity  –  I  have  all  of  the  answers  and  I  will  determine  how  much  you  know  or  learn  

• Abundance  –  I  don’t  have  all  of  the  answers,  I  will  learn  from  you,  you  will  learn  from  me,  we  will  learn  from  others  and  we  will  share  our  learning’s  with  each  other.    

• Scarcity  –  Clinched  fists.  • Abundance  –  Open  hands.  

 

• Scarcity  –  Dictate  and  Micromanage.  • Abundance  –  openness  and  trust  

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        5  Mindsets  of  Great  Leaders  

 

 

Next  Step?  

If you would like to explore how to change your mindsets as a leader or within your team I would be happy to discuss this with you.

As an ICF accredited leadership coach, trainer and consultant with over 20 years experience I am confident that either through coaching or training, (or combination of both), you and your team can go to the next level of productivity and results.

Email me at [email protected] to start a conversation to see what might be right for you.

SUMMARY:  TRANSFORMATIONAL  LEADERSHIP  MINDSETS  

#1  –  Think  above  the  Line.    

Take  responsibility  for  the  results  you  are  getting  right  now.  

#2  –  Take  Control  of  what  you  focus  on.    

Focus  on  the  possibilities  and  potential.  

#3  –  Take  control  of  how  you  interpret  your  world.    

Your  filters  determine  what  you  see.  

#4  –  Learn  to  embrace  the  unfamiliar.    

The  more  you  can  move  out  of  your  comfort  zone  the  more  effective  you  will  be  as  a  leader.  

#5  –  Language  creates  reality.    

Listen  to  your  language  and  adapt  it  to  reach  your  results.